The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars are newcomers and natural rivals, so a few advertising shots across the bow were inevitable.
First, General Motors appeared to take aim at Nissan last fall with an TV spot voiced by comedian Tim Allen. As a Volt owner plugs the car into a wall outlet in his garage Allen tells the outlet, "Get psyched -- it's a big step up from the leaf blower."
Nissan has countered with a Leaf ad targeting the Volt that asks what the world would be like "if everything ran on gas?"
The spot points out that the Leaf is a pure electric vehicle, while the Volt has battery power plus a gasoline engine. It portrays the daily life of a couple, complete with cell phone, hair dryer, microwave oven, computer and other electronic devices. Each device is powered by a gasoline engine, with exhaust flowing from a tailpipe.
At the end of the video, a Volt owner is pumping gasoline into his car. He stares forlornly across the street as a Leaf owner quickly removes an electric plug that is attached to a charging station and drives away. See it at autonews.com/leafad.
GM says the ad, which has attracted 700,000 viewers on YouTube since it was posted May 27, is misleading and "damaging to the EV movement," said GM spokesman Rob Peterson in an e-mail. "Many people are intrigued by pure electric cars, but not many people are willing or have the means to own a limited-use vehicle."
Nissan, not surprisingly, disagrees. "Its main purpose is to make people think about what our lives would be like if everything ran on gas," said Nissan spokesman Dave Reuter. "It wasn't specifically calling out the competition."
